“You stay here. I’ll see what he wants. He might not come inside.”
Lucy stayed in the kitchen tracing the grain of the wooden table with her finger. If only she could hear what they were saying. All she heard were mumblings and could not make out the individual words. She drew some comfort from the fact that they weren’t yelling. Although, she'd never heard either of them raise his voice in any situation.
She listened as Joshua came through the front door and then he stood, smiling in front of her. Then her vadder joined him.
“Dat. I didn’t know I was going to come here. I didn’t lie to you. I was at the coffee shop.”
He walked toward her and sat opposite her. Joshua stayed standing. “I’ve made my apologies to Joshua and now I’ll make them to you. I’m sorry if I made your life any less when Grace left us.”
Lucy hugged her arms to her chest as she listened.
Then her father continued, “I’m sorry I called you Grace.”
“Dat, you and Mamm call me Grace all the time. Sometimes, I felt like you would’ve preferred I was the one to go.”
He looked down. He was not a person to show his feelings or emotion of any kind.
“Grace has left us, but I’m here,” Lucy said.
“I hear what you’re saying, Lucy.” Mr. Fuller looked at his daughter. “If you both want to continue seeing each other I won’t stand in your way.” He turned to Joshua. “I think you should have kept your word about marrying Grace.”
Joshua looked at the floor. “I know.”
“You’ll be returning to the community then?” Mr. Fuller asked Joshua.
Joshua looked at him and gave a sharp nod.
Her father fixed his eyes on Lucy once more. “Joshua said he’d bring you home later.” He pushed his chair out and stood up. “Not too late because your mudder and your bruders will be home tonight.”
Lucy smiled. She’d missed her younger brothers and her mother, and was happy they’d cut short their visit to Ohio.
Joshua followed her father out, and not long after, Lucy heard her vadder’s buggy horse clip-clopping away. Joshua came back into the kitchen.
Lucy raised her eyebrows. “What did he say?”
“He apologized for last night and he apologized on behalf of both sets of parents for forcing a marriage between Grace and myself.”
Lucy kept quiet. Should she look surprised at the information, or tell him she’d overheard some of it the night before? Joshua sat next to her.
“I don’t know if you know this, Lucy, but our parents expected Grace and I would marry, and I was forced to go along with their plans. When I finally told Grace I didn’t want to marry her, she developed the awful flu that very night.”
“I thought you truly loved each other.” She remembered Grace was very much in love with him.
“I loved her, but I was not in love with her enough to marry her. I know some folk think once-in-a-lifetime love doesn’t exist, and others say it doesn’t really matter who you marry as long as they are following Gott’s ways. But I have never agreed with their way of thinking. I always felt in my heart, if I waited I’d find the right woman. Do you agree?”
Lucy nodded. “What did Grace say when you ended things?”
“She was a little upset, but she understood and she said she felt the same way. She felt it was expected.” He continued, “I loved Grace, but it wasn’t the real, true love that one would ideally have with a woman. Yeah, we could’ve married and been perfectly happy like a great many folk do when they marry without love. I wanted to marry a woman who makes me miss her when I’m away from her.”
Lucy’s palms got sweaty. She slipped her hands under the table and wiped them on her apron. “It’s not your fault Grace died.”
Joshua nodded. “I know, but it makes me feel worse about putting an end to our relationship. It was bad timing. I left the community because I thought what I wanted wasn’t in the community. Now, I come back here and find you. You’re the part of my life that was missing.” He picked up her hand. “Now everything makes sense. You and I can live on the farm and raise kinner if you’ll have me.”
“Me?”
“Lucy, you must feel what I feel. It can’t be one sided. I was sure you felt something too.”
Her lips turned upward at the corners. “Jah, I feel it too, Joshua. It was unexpected. I didn’t want to love you, thinking you and Grace had loved each other so much. But now, I feel free to have feelings for you.”
“It’s meant to be. Will you allow me to call on you?”
Lucy nodded. “I will.” She collapsed into his arms, sobbing.
He put his arm around her back. “Hey, what is this all about? You should be happy.”
She sniffed back the tears. She didn’t want to be a sobbing mess in front of him. “I am happy. I didn’t want to like you in that way. I tried to stop, but it was too hard.” She giggled amidst the tears.
He pulled her closer. “To think I left the community in search of something that was right here all the time. I’ll stay, and I'll help you persuade others to preserve the farmland for future generations.”
“You will?” This was more than she’d hoped for. “You’ll stay?”
He nodded then picked up her hand. “I have to; I told your vadder I would.” He brought her hand to his lips and planted a soft kiss, sending tingles of delight through her whole body.
* * *
Lucy couldn’t wait to tell the girls she and Joshua were now a couple. Not only that, but she had someone to help her in her mission to save the farmlands. Claire was away on her honeymoon, so she’d tell her the news when she came back. They’d all be happy for her and for Joshua. Finally, she was free. Her father had apologized and she’d learned the truth about Joshua and Grace. She’d no longer be living in Grace’s shadow.
Thank you for reading The Amish Maid’s Sweetheart. I hope you are enjoying the trilogy.
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www.SamanthaPriceAuthor.com
Blessings,
Samantha Price
The final book in the Amish Maids Trilogy is:
Book 3
The Amish Deacon’s Daughter.
Other books by Samantha Price:
AMISH LOVE BLOOMS
Book 1 Amish Rose
Book 2 Amish Tulip
Book 3 Amish Daisy
Book 4 Amish Lily
Book 5 Amish Violet
Book 6 Amish Willow
* * *
ETTIE SMITH AMISH MYSTERIES
Book 1 Secrets Come Home
Book 2 Amish Murder
Book 3 Murder in the Amish Bakery
Book 4 Amish Murder Too Close
Book 5 Amish Quilt Shop Mystery
Book 6 Amish Baby Mystery
Book 7 Betrayed
Book 8: Amish False Witness
Book 9: Amish Barn Murders
Book 10 Amish Christmas Mystery
Book 11 Who Killed Uncle Alfie?
Book 12 Lost: Amish Mystery
Book 13 Amish Cover-Up
Book 14 Amish Crossword Murder
Book 15 Old Promises
Book 16 Amish Mystery at Rose Cottage
Book 17 Amish Mystery: Plain Secrets
Book 18 Amish Mystery: Fear Thy Neighbor
* * *
AMISH MISFTIS
Book 2 The Amish Spinster
Book 3 The Amish Bishop’s Daughter
Book 4 The Amish Single Mother
Book 5 The Temporary Amish Nan
ny
Book 6 Jeremiah’s Daughter
Book 7 My Brother’s Keeper
* * *
SEVEN AMISH BACHELORS
Book 1 The Amish Bachelor
Book 2 His Amish Romance
Book 3 Joshua’s Choice
Book 4 Forbidden Amish Romance
Book 5 The Quiet Amish Bachelor
Book 6 The Determined Amish Bachelor
Book 7 Amish Bachelor’s Secret
* * *
EXPECTANT AMISH WIDOWS
Book 1 Amish Widow's Hope
Book 2 The Pregnant Amish Widow
Book 3 Amish Widow's Faith
Book 4 Their Son's Amish Baby
Book 5 Amish Widow's Proposal
Book 6 The Pregnant Amish Nanny
Book 7 A Pregnant Widow's Amish Vacation
Book 8 The Amish Firefighter's Widow
Book 9 Amish Widow's Secret
Book 10 The Middle-Aged Amish Widow
Book 11 Amish Widow's Escape
Book 12 Amish Widow's Christmas
Book 13 Amish Widow’s New Hope
Book 14 Amish Widow’s Story
Book 15 Amish Widow’s Decision
Book 16 Amish Widow’s Trust
Book 17 The Amish Potato Farmer’s Widow
* * *
AMISH ROMANCE SECRETS
Book 1 A Simple Choice
Book 2 Annie’s Faith
Book 3 A Small Secret
Book 4 Ephraim’s Chance
Book 5 A Second Chance
Book 6 Choosing Amish
* * *
AMISH WEDDING SEASON
Book 1 Impossible Love
Book 2 Love at First
Book 3 Faith’s Love
Book 4 The Trials of Mrs. Fisher
Book 5 A Simple Change
* * *
AMISH BABY COLLECTION
Book 1 The Gambler’s Amish Baby
Book 2 The Promise
Book 3 Abandoned
Book 4 Amish Baby Surprise
Book 5 Amish Baby Gift
Book 6 Amish Christmas Baby Gone
AMISH TWIN HEARTS
Book 1 Amish Trading Places
Book 2 Amish Truth Be Told
Book 3 The Big Beautiful Amish Woman
Book 4 The Amish Widow and The Millionaire
About Samantha Price
USA Today Bestselling author, Samantha Price, wrote stories from a young age, but it wasn't until later in life that she took up writing full time. Formally an artist, she exchanged her paintbrush for the computer and, many best-selling book series later, has never looked back.
Samantha is happiest on her computer lost in the world of her characters. She is best known for the Ettie Smith Amish Mysteries series and the Expectant Amish Widows series.
www.SamanthaPriceAuthor.com
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